Turning The Page

Ninety Nine

"D-Daddy..." I know that my sweet Mama feels just as confused and slightly appalled at the decorated room, both of our hands coming up to touch his belly while the others file in and pile up around where we've chosen to stand off to the side, the other Apha's seeming just as confused, most of the Luna's smiling and chattering with each other still over the topics that had been brought up in the hall while the rest of us try and figure out why it looks like this place looks like its decorated for a grade school Valentines Day party...

"Well, what the fuck is this?" The question makes us both jump as unexpected as it is, Cricket and Aurie both having broken into the packages of chips and currently preoccupied with enjoying them at the moment, both Lukas and Harper caught up in paying them the same attention I would give my own sweet Bean after being kept from spending the morning together... 

"Pop?" I hadn't even noticed him when he walked in, I hadn't thought he would stick around after lunch, much less saunter up to stand next to us. Yes, he had been helpful in the last twenty-four hours... But that doesn't suddenly mean that the two of us are suddenly on good terms... But before I can say something dickish and tell him that if he's going to stay that I'll need just as much space as he needed when he decided that I was old enough to live on my own in a barely built house as a teenager. So basically an entire territory worth... My sweet Bean enchants me with his voice all willowy in his nerves...

"It's a party."

...

Adrian

...

My words come out dry and sassy but I can't seem to help myself, not that the narrowing of my Father-In-Law's eyes isn't kind of funny... Just that he is bigger than me and I know better than to be sassy to strangers... Not that I think Daddy would ever let anything happen to me, not that at all... 

Just I know that he didn't treat my sweet Daddy very nicely when they were younger... And that he's the reason Bethany is so quick to cry and the reason why she warned me not to have kids with a Timber... It's not that I don't think I can make my own judgment on him... Just that if being around him is hard for my mate I would rather not be around him or say something sassy that could give him a bone to pick with us... Even as a Luna I'm not really up for confrontation... It ends up being overwhelming for me...

Luckily my words are deemed fighting words, I simply get a tongue in cheek murmuring of, "I should have known that Silas would end up with a smartass." before all of us have to hush so we can hear Alic and a woman who looks kind of like him near the front of the room as they clear their throats and ask for our attention, and the subject seems more than dropped as a reluctant hush falls over the room while most of us pay more attention to looking at all of the streamers and glitter than actually looking at him head-on... Not that I think any of us can really be blamed for that... The glitter is the most exciting thing that's happened all week... And that's including all the hand-clapping Alic is still doing. 

...

Silas

...

I don't even get a chance to really laugh at the dry shade Addy throws Pop's way, or even to question the way he responds... If I had said that he would have asked if I wanted to fight... Not that I'm glad that he didn't get angry or lose his lid over it like he would have done to me and Becky when we were little... Not that I would necessarily mind him stripping down and running off... But now that I think about it... He isn't much of a 'Dad', but I still refer to him as such rather than calling him by name because his name pisses me off... Addy might not take it so well to watch a Dad storm off upset over something he said... It would hit too close to home... 

So even though I'd rather not have to stand next to him, maybe it's better that he's apparently on his best behavior for now... The last thing I want is for my sweet Mama to feel even more stressed than he's been all week and stress won't be good for him or our baby... Granted I don't know if there's a baby just yet... Still... Hopefully, there is and neither one of us wants anything bad to happen...

My thoughts keep me from paying attention, and I find myself pulling Addy a little bit closer to me so I can press a gentle quick kiss to his neck before adjusting our palms over his tummy so that he feels secure, his hands returning the gentle squeeze I give his sweet belly to reassure us both that everything will be okay. 

...

Adrian

... 

I know that we both should pay more attention... That really we should have made more of an effort to actually listen all this week... It's not exactly our fault that we had other things on our mind... But it still is something that is important enough for the council to mandate that we be here... 

I know that we have the packets that Alic handed out in the beginning and a copy of Luna notes from both Cricket and Aurie so we can catch up at home... I just suppose it bothers me to feel like I was rude or broke the rules... I know that we both did and didn't at the same time but that doesn't mean I have to feel good about it... Even if Daddy already told me not to feel guilty... 

"Now with that being said! The kids will join us all in a little bit when their naptime is over, but other than that please enjoy yourselves! This is technically a friendship building exercise so get to it! The room is needed by eight this evening so enjoy it while it lasts, and if a few of you would like to volunteer and help with cleanup after it is absolutely appreciated!"